Tabeguache Peak (14,155) and Mt Shavano (14,229) by Brian Schultz Thursday July 12, 1995
The proprietors at the Poncha Lodge cringed when they saw my sunburned face yesterday at check- in. The burn, from Monday, was at its worst and it hurt. Once again though, I felt I could protect my face and off I went to the Jennings Creek trailhead on a poor but passable road for the car.
At 8:00, under sunny, clear skies, I started on a good trail that brought me to a pond and then headed towards the southwest ridge of Tabeguache. Happy to be rid of the snow from the previous hikes but discouraged by the very steep scree, it took forever to gain the ridge. I can only describe the ascent as horrible and I was more than relieved when I topped out on the ridge. Both peaks can be seen here and following the ridge brought me to several false summits and finally Tabeguache at 12:00 noon. There was nobody else up here and I stayed only long enough to sign the register and head for Shavano, another mile away.
Lots of snow at the top allowed for a glissade down to the saddle and then I followed the ridge to Shavano's summit, reaching it at 1:00. Five people from Texas and Kansas came up from the other side. Unbelievable weather allowed us to spend an hour on the summit, enjoying the views of Pikes Peak to the east and lots of Sawatch peaks to the north. No one intended to climb Tabeguache so at 2:00 I left alone to climb back up it. What was easy to glissade down was steep and tiring to go back up and I needed a good break when I got there.
I scampered down the ridge and when I reached the scree, this time it was easier- I took strides that sent dirt and small stones flowing under each step. Using my ax for balance I descended without slipping and hooked up with the trail below. I made it back to the car at 5:45.
I was tired after this long day and decided to relax the next day in Denver instead of hiking another fourteener. Not a very difficult set of peaks but a long day and much effort for the ups and downs.
Total hike time- 9 hours 45 minutes (including 1 hour on Shavano)